


Unexpected

by AdmiralSweko



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Atlas CEO Rhys, F/M, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Love Confessions, Rhyiona - Freeform, Rhys x Fiona, Sasha is a good wingman, Vault Hunter Fiona, Zero does a cameo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 23:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18980332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdmiralSweko/pseuds/AdmiralSweko
Summary: Rhys was content with silently pining for Fiona, as he was certain that she didn't feel the same for him. Sasha, on the other hand, has other ideas.





	Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hopeless for these two and this ship needs more content. So I threw my hat in the ring. ;D

“Fiona is coming home next week, “Sasha mentioned, glancing at Rhys from across the bar. Rhys met her eye, looking up from the beer he’d been staring into as Sasha had prattled on about the latest news. He knew that sly smile that she was trying to hide; he’d seen so many times before.  


“Really?” Rhys tried for casual, but his voice broke. He cleared his throat.  


Sasha’s smile deepened. “Yep, she should be here to stay, at least for a while this time.”  


A memory of Fiona drifted through his mind. Her green eyes flashing, ready to take on anything the universe had to offer. His heart thudded a little harder.  


“You must be excited to have her coming home. Where did that Crimson Raider woman send her again?”  


“One of the Edens, I think. I can’t remember.” Sasha dismissed his question with a wave of her hand. “Aren’t _you_ excited? I know _you’ve_ missed her.”  


Rhys felt his face heating up. “What?” he scoffed, “Not really.” He hastily gulped at his drink, hoping someone would start a bar fight or something and save him from this conversation. He did a quick survey of the room. The saloon was nearly empty. There was a man passed out with his head in his arms on the other end of the counter. Two more were throwing knives at the dartboard in the corner, taking turns drunkenly heckling each other. Not much help there unless one of them cut off a toe.  


Sasha raised an eyebrow, her expression doing all the talking. Rhys shifted under her scrutiny, resisting the urge to fidget.  


“Oh, c’mon. It’s so obvious,” she needled at him. “You’re a terrible liar.”  


“Sasha, how many times do I have to tell you I’m not interested in your sister?” He flinched internally, reminded of all the times he had said similar words to Fiona. At least those times, it had been the complete truth. Sasha was a good friend and he enjoyed her company. But there was something about Fiona that made his heart skip a beat.  


“Sure, Rhys,” Sasha jeered. “You keep saying that, but every time Fiona’s name is mentioned, you’re suddenly paying attention.”  


“That’s ridiculous.”  


“Oh, yeah? Then what was I talking about before I said anything about Fiona? Hmm?” she goaded.  


Rhys searched his memory, trying desperately to recall one clue as to what she had been saying previously. Seconds ticked by as embarrassment burned in his stomach.  


“Ahem.” Sasha cleared her throat theatrically. “I don’t have all night. “  


Rhys groaned, giving up. “So you’re right about this one specific occasion. That doesn’t prove anything.”  


“Why don’t you tell her how you feel about her? Geez, do it for my sake; so I don’t have you taking up space in my bar, moping week after week.” Sasha teased.  


This was exactly the kind of derisive tormenting he feared Fiona would react with if he breathed a word of his feelings. He could handle it from Sasha. Fiona was a different story.  


“I am not ‘moping’,” he sneered back. “I have nothing to tell her because it’s absolutely not true. Now if you’re done insulting me for one evening, I think I’ll go.”  


He threw some money on the counter. Sasha protested, insisting that she was only kidding, and urged him to stay. He waved her off and left.  


Fiona was coming home. That news was worth enduring all the teasing and knowing looks. Not that he’d ever admit it to Sasha, but he had missed Fiona; quite a lot. It had been a few weeks since the last time they had seen one another. He felt lighter as he hit the street outside, a spring in his step.

***

The week had flown by, filled with all sorts of new developments and advances. The work of a new CEO was hard, but Rhys was satisfied. He had been so busy; he’d hardly had time to eat or sleep. Despite the insanity of all the new hires and progress being made on the factories, Fiona was never too far from his thoughts. 

The memory of her was always within reach, even when he was eyeball deep in reports and statistics: the curve of her smile, the glimmer of her nail polish as she ran her fingers through that intriguing red streak in her hair, the sound of her voice, the quirk of her eyebrow when she was amused, how she would tug at her hat when she was nervous. She was the star of all his daydreams, one of which had been floating through his mind recently. He’d enjoyed smoothing out the details of it over the last few days.  


He was playing with the idea of it as he headed into his office. Having spent most of the morning negotiating contracts with some local townspeople, he was looking forward to some much needed quiet before the next thing on his agenda. He felt relaxed after the success of those negotiations, his stride confident as he flicked his card in front of the reader to unlock his office and punched his code into the pad above it. He went to the water pitcher across the room, not noticing that his chair was occupied. His thoughts were on the idea of Fiona and her full lips.  


“Hello, Rhys.”  


He jumped, nearly dropping the pitcher, a sound escaping him before he could stop it. He turned and there she was, the woman herself. It was as if he had dreamed her into existence. She was seated comfortably behind his desk with her feet propped up on the corner, looking like the skag that ate the psycho.  


“Fi—,” he started but his voice broke. He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. “Fiona? What? How— How did you get in here?”  


“Oh, I have my ways.” She grinned, pulling an identical card to his own out of her jacket pocket. She held it up jauntily between two fingers. He noticed her nails were painted a shimmery blue that flashed in the light. “And the keycode was too simple. You know, it’s not very smart having the pin be your name in numeric order.”  


“Uh, Yeah. Thanks for the tip. I’ll keep that in mind,” he said as he set about pouring a glass of water. Suddenly, it seemed his mouth was even drier. He glanced at her over the rim of his glass as he sipped. Causally spinning the card between her fingers, her gaze traveled over the interior of the room.  


“Nice place you got here,” she said.  


It was ridiculous but he felt a swell of pride, his chest puffing out a little. “Thanks,” he said. He looked around, trying to see the space through her eyes. It was smaller than a typical chief executive’s office would have been in any other company’s headquarters, but he liked it. It was less modern than the glass and chrome atmosphere of Helios. He had wanted an office that felt more inviting than intimidating.  
“Seems you’ve done pretty well for yourself.”  


He looked at her, surprised at the lack of sarcasm. This was Fiona, after all. She never gave him any slack. Ever. She was appraising him, her gaze skimming over him from head to toe. Don’t fidget, he thought. A tingle zipped through his spine.  


“Yeah. I’m working on it,” he said with an awkward chuckle, running his hand through his hair. Mentally, he scolded himself for letting her get to him. She’d thrown him off guard by showing up unannounced in his personal space and saying nice things to him. Now he was scrambling to maintain his composure. He needed to act, get back some control after this curveball. Setting down his glass, he strode over to stand on the other side of his desk.  


“Who did you pickpocket to get that card?” he asked.  


“Some suit. They all look the same to me,” she said flippantly. She stared him down, obviously amused.  


“Only two other people have cards for this office. Since you’re not one of them, I’ll make sure it’s returned to the right person,” he explained slowly, as if to a child. He extended his hand out.  


She rolled her eyes at him and laid the card in his palm. He tucked into his own jacket pocket.  


“Thank you. Now, why are you here? Couldn’t resist poking around in my business,” he teased. He was feeling a little more confident, after this mini victory.  


“Please. If I was curious as to how a pencil-pushing corporate stooge spent his time, I’d ask Vaughn for the highlights,” she scoffed.  


“Uh-huh. Well, this stooge has work to do. Can I have my desk back?” Rhys asked, coming around to stand next to her.  


“But this chair is comfortable,” she grumbled. “Fine.”  


With a sigh, Fiona swung her legs down and stood. As she stepped aside to give him access to the seat, he caught her scent. She smelled heavenly, fiery and enticing. His fists clenched as he resisted the urge to pull her closer and bury himself in that aroma. He realized he’d missed her more than he had originally believed. He sat down. The seat was warm. He forced his thoughts away from contemplating the body that had created that warmth and now was leaning against his desk.  


He took a couple of moments to gather his wits before he looked at her. He was feeling better now that he was at his desk. This was where he was most comfortable; where he was in control. Yet, she was still so close, still in his personal space. She appeared relaxed, arms crossed, like nothing ever affected her. He knew that wasn’t true. He’d seen her at her lowest as well as at her best. Her strength and resolve were the things he admired most about her. He was jealous of that cool demeanor right now. His skin felt too tight and his mouth was dry again. She was just so close. Was it his imagination or was she leaning towards him?  


“I see you’re wearing a tie again.” she said softly. She reached out and picked it up off his chest. His heart skipped a beat at the barest scrape of her fingers against his shirt. She examined the pattern embossed on his tie. “What’s this design?”  


“It’s an—” All words escaped him as her gaze came to his. His breath caught in his throat. The green of her eyes was like staring into a priceless gem, shining and captivating. “It’s a stylized A.” He managed to croak out, “For Atlas.” He chided himself. Of course, she would know what the A stood for.  


“I like it,” she said, with a smile. His lips tingled at the thought of kissing her. Right now, as she was leaning into him with his tie in her hand.  


“I—Uh—I thought you hated ties.” He had to break eye contact and pull away. He was going to make a fool of himself if he didn’t.  


“I hated your old tie,” she clarified. “This is an improvement. At least, it’s not tucked into your pants.”  


“Oh. Right.” He busied himself adjusting his keyboard and straightening his already tidy desk. Why was she being so nice? It rattled him. Usually they would banter and exchange barbs. He could manage himself around her like that. But this? This was different. This was new.  


“So, you didn’t say why you broke into my office?” He had to get back to neutral territory; back to where it was safe.  


“I’d hardly call it breaking in,” she said sardonically. “What do you mean? I thought you had to see me about something.”  


“Really? Not that I know of. What gave you that idea?”  


“Sasha said you had something important to tell me and that I should stop by. She practically grabbed my bags and kicked me out the door.”  


Rhys searched his brain for some clue as to what Sasha could have been alluding to. He thought back to the last time he’d seen her. It was about a week ago in the saloon. His eyes widened as Sasha’s words echoed in his ears. ‘Why don’t you tell her how you feel about her?’ Of course, Sasha would know the best way to force his hand would be to drop a hint to her sister. After all they’d been through, if Fiona even suspected that he had a secret, she wouldn’t rest until she knew exactly what it was and how long he’d held it.  


He glanced over at her. She was looking at him with curiosity. He needed to play this cool.  


“Rhys? Are you okay? You look sick.” Warmth bloomed around his heart hearing the concern in her voice.  


“Oh, yeah. Of course. I’m fine.” He swallowed and stood up, filled with panic. He couldn’t risk telling Fiona about his feelings. If she found out, he was certain their relationship would change, become strained and awkward. Best case scenario, she would endlessly tease him; worst case, she would avoid him altogether as there would a constant unspoken burden hanging over them because she didn’t feel the same for him.  


“I—I have no idea what Sasha could be referring to. I must have forgotten, I guess,” he rambled. “I’ll probably remember when I least expect it. But, hey, welcome back”  


A look of skepticism settled over Fiona face. “You know you’re a terrible liar, right? C’mon, cough it up.”  


Oh crap, he thought. His mind raced but he knew there was no alternative. Even if he evaded her this time, Fiona was not going to let this go. Sasha wouldn’t either, for that matter. He was just going to have to downplay the whole thing. Treat it like a joke; so when she laughed at the idea of him being in love with her, he could pretend to find it as unbelievable as she did.  


“Okay. Uh. It’s really stupid but you might find it funny.” Instinctively, he turned away. He ran his hand through his hair. “Um. Well, you see, Sasha has this crazy idea that I—” He hesitated, cursing Sasha silently. How could she do this to him? Rhys had thought they were friends. Honestly, she probably thought she would be helping but this was a nightmare.  


Fiona clearly sensed the tension radiating from him. She spoke gently, as though she were afraid of spooking him. “You what, Rhys?”  


“She thinks I’m in— that I have crush on you.”  


“Oh.”  


Quiet filled the air for a heartbeat; then another.  


Rhys felt like his head was going to explode. He chanced a look at her, hoping for best case scenario and she’d be amused. Instead, she stood still, seemingly shocked. Her eyes were round; her hands at her sides. He started talking, compelled to fill the empty space.  


“It’s crazy, right? I don’t even know how she came up with that,” he babbled, hating himself but utterly powerless to stop. “Like, what could she be thinking? I guess that must have been what she thought I needed to tell you. It’s kind of funny when you think abo—”  


“Is it true?”  


Rhys’ entire existence screeched to a halt. He turned to her; their eyes connected. Her expression was stone serious. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t read her.  


“Rhys. Is it true?”  


“What if it is?” he deflected automatically, falling back on a tactic he’d learned from his years climbing the corporate ladder. In order to protect yourself, admit nothing and divert until you knew what to expect.  


There they stood at an impasse, on the precipice of something but each one hesitant to be the first to admit vulnerability.  


Fiona drew in a breath, evidently collecting her thoughts. Rhys waited. Silence stretched out between them. It was agonizing. He needed to say something. Take the chance, he thought; just admit it. His words rushed out just as she spoke.  


“I like you too.”  


“It’s true.”  


They stared at each other, stunned. Both spoke again.  


“It’s true?”  


“You like me?”  


A big dumb grin spread across Rhys’ face. Fiona rolled her eyes at him, biting back a smile of her own, and his heart flipped over in his chest.  


‘I like you too.’ The words repeated through his thoughts, again and again; his heart rate picking up each time.  


As the goofy awkwardness melted away, a hush of excitement and quiet expectation settled in. He took a step closer to her. He raised his left hand and brushed along her cheek. Her skin was so soft, and warmth radiated from her as she blushed at his touch. He heard her breath catch as he ran his thumb closer to the corner of her mouth, drawing his focus. Her lips were slightly parted, tempting him. As he leaned in closer to her, he could feel the soft fan of her breath against his face.  


“Fiona,” he whispered, “can I kiss you?”  


She didn’t answer him. Instead, she closed the distance herself, her lips pressing firmly against his. It was only a brief kiss before he broke it off.  


“What’s wrong?” she asked, apprehension in her expression.  


He felt lightheaded. This was obviously a dream. There was no way Fiona would ever want to kiss _him_. All he could think was that he was going to wake up soon.  


“Just tell me I haven’t completely lost my mind, and this is another daydream. A weirdly ultra-realistic one,” he begged. “This is real, right? It’s actually happening?”  


She smiled as she tilted her head to the side.  


“You daydream about me?”  


“Yes,” he admitted, “The truth is, Fiona, I can’t stop thinking about you.”  


Her eyes softened. “Say it again.”  


“I can’t stop thinking about you.”  


“No,” she shook her head. “Say my name again. I like the way it sounds when you say it.”  


His heart skipped. Feeling braver, he leaned closer, sweeping her hair back. His fingers tangled in the smooth strands. He brought his lips up to her ear, just a trace from touching her, and softly whispered, “Fiona.”  


She made a hum in her throat. She put her hands on his shoulders; urged him to face her.  


“Kiss me, Rhys,” she sighed.  


Butterflies fluttered through his stomach. He hesitated, savoring her words. He heard her breath stutter when his hands came up to cradle her face. He lowered his mouth to hers gently. He started with slow, lingering caresses, taking his time. As they found their rhythm, the kisses grew hotter, more intense. She licked his bottom lip in invitation, and he answered; their tongues flirting. The taste of her was better than he could have imagined, intoxicating, bold and sweet.  


She had his shirt clutched in her grip as she pulled him in, demanding just a little more. His body pressed against hers. Passion scorched through him. He took a step closer causing her to bump against the edge of the desk. Without breaking contact, he lifted her to sit on top. Surprised, Fiona pulled away slightly. They paused, panting for air.  


Rhys searched her face, trying to memorize every detail. She studied him as well. He’d never seen anyone so beautiful. He ran his fingers through her bangs, tucking them behind her ear. He took her hat off and laid it down on the desk beside them. She started to protest before he cut her off with a tender lingering kiss, which was followed by another. She relaxed into him as his arms encircled her, one hand coming to rest at the back of her head. The short fringe of her haircut tickled against him. He kissed her delicately again, catching her lips with his. He’d envisioned cradling her like this a hundred times before; but no figment of his imagination could compare to the reality of her. His cybernetic hand traced the length of her neck. She gasped softly against his lips and his body caught fire. Lust flooded through him and he ached for her.  


He took her lips more forcefully, bruising and unforgiving; desire making him bold. As he plundered her mouth, kissing her senseless, her thighs pressed into the sides of his waist. He needed to taste her skin; needed to sear the sensation of her flesh into his memory. He moved his attention to her jaw, planting hot, rough kisses that blazed throughout both their bodies. He worked his way to her ear, where he nibbled at the delicate lobe. He could have sworn she whimpered as she arched her back.  


That was impossible. This was Fiona. She would probably murder someone for even suggesting she was capable of whimpering. But he never thought that she would be like this, putty in his hands as he trailed down her neck. Thankfully, she wasn’t wearing one of her favored high-collared blouses. Although, he had to admit those tops had fueled his fantasies of doing exactly this. He shoved at her jacket and the shirt beneath, desperate to expose, to see, to feel.  


Her head tilted back into his hand. He could feel her chest heaving with each breath she took. He found a spot where her neck met her shoulder that she was especially responsive to, her murmurs of pleasure growing a little louder when he was near it. She clung to him, completely at his mercy. The sounds she was making excited him, driving him crazy. He bit down, just hard enough to cause a brief shock of pain. She cried out and her hips rocked, creating a delicious friction. Any coherent thought that might have been forming in his mind dissolved at the sound and a shiver traveled down his spine. He couldn’t believe he was causing this kind of reaction in Fiona. Fiona, the, kick-ass take-names, tough as nails, badass of Pandora. This had to be a dream after all. There was no way this was real.  


He soothed the bite with his tongue, kissing and sucking at the little wound. She was shaking in his arms. Before he realized what was happening, she had him by the back of his neck, forcing him to face her. When their lips met this time, it was she who was unrelenting. She took his lip between her teeth as they kissed, nibbling at him. He let out a grunt of surprise, which seemed to fuel her, driving her fingers into his hair. The temperature in the room rose. There was desperation in her now. His actions seemed to have awaken something in her; a passion that drove her to be reckless. He eased back just a little to catch his breath. She kept him in place, however, pressing kisses to his cheeks. Her hands found the knot in his tie. Quickly, she had it loosened, and she slipped it over his head. Instantly, she was onto his shirt buttons, working them open.  


She was momentarily distracted as she struggled with one. He felt a slight chill from the air where she was hastily exposing him. He wasn’t sure how to react. A small part of his brain that wasn’t besotted with desire insisted that they were playing with fire. He felt as if they were nearing a line, one that he wasn’t sure he was ready to cross yet. He was just about to take her hands in his to slow her down when he saw her face. Her cheeks were pink; her lips flushed around the edges from their kisses; her eyes trained on his shirt. She had her bottom lip caught between her teeth in concentration. He fell a little more in love with her right there. He knew he’d never be the same. Oh god, I’m in serious trouble, he thought.  


She caught him watching her. She abandoned the buttons in favor of dragging him in again for a kiss that made his toes curl. He felt her legs wrap more tightly around his waist. She moved to pull at his shirt, not bothering with the buttons this time. Her breath was hot, each exhale flowing over his bare skin, making every nerve in his body throb.  


His lust clouded mind rushed to keep up. This was all happening so fast. How did they get here? Fiona was always the one in control. She was the calm one, never giving over to her emotions like he did, usually the one to calm him down when he got hyperbolic. But now she was throwing everything at him, abandoning all restraint. He had to hit the brakes now before they did something dangerous. Pull yourself together, Rhys. Push her away; catch your breath; think logically.  


“Fi—” he tried to say but her lips snatched the air out of his lungs. She was leaving burning hot, wet kisses along his collarbone as she tugged his shirt from his pants. She was everywhere; all around him, in his head, on his skin, in the air he breathed. He felt like he was fighting against the tide. All he wanted to do was surrender, let her take him, use him, push him over the edge.  


It would be so easy to give in, right here, right now. Why was he holding back? She wanted him and, god, he wanted her so badly. But this wasn’t the place nor the time. Not on his desk in his office; not for their first time.  


“Fiona, wait,” he managed to gasp out.  


His resolve weakened when her hands found their way under his shirt, her fingertips branding into his skin. But he remained steadfast. He pulled away from her, firmly catching her wrists to stop their exploration.  


“What? What’s the matter?” She looked like she was waking up from a dream. Her eyes were hazy and unfocused as she looked up at him.  


“We need to slow down.”  


She looked confused at his words, not fully comprehending what he was getting at. She took in his disheveled appearance in a blink. Quickly, she came to his meaning.  


“Oh. Uh-- Right. You’re right. Um.” She gave her head a shake as though to clear the cobwebs.  


“Are you okay?” His heart melted seeing her like this, looking all befuddled and thoroughly smooched. He tucked his finger under her chin and brought her attention up to his face. She must have seen something in his expression, something that made her eyes soften and brought a smile to her lips. “I’m great,” she whispered.  


“Good,” he sighed. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, breathing her in; feeling his heart rate settle back to normal.  


“I’m glad you stopped me from—from…” she trailed off.  


“From ripping my clothes off?” He filled in. They shared a laugh.  


“Yeah. I wasn’t really thinking straight.”  


“I’d be lying if I said I wanted to stop,” he admitted, a stupid grin spreading across his face. Fiona straightened to look at him with a small smirk.  


Before either could say anything else, a buzz emanated from Rhys’ computer, startling them both. With a look of horror, Rhys realized what time it was.  


“Oh, crap. I have to get back to work.” He pulled away from her, hastily tucking his shirt back into his pants. He scooped his tie off the chair and slipped over his head. “That’s probably Zero with an update.”  


“I should go. Sasha might get suspicious that her little scheme actually worked.” Fiona said with a wry tone. She placed her hat back on her head, got to her feet.  


“Fi?” He gently grabbed her arm before she was out of reach. She turned to him, a question in her eyes. “When can I see you again?”  


She grinned at him. “Hmm. Well. I suppose you could buy me a drink tonight. You know the place.”  


“I’ll be there,” he promised, with a matching grin.  


She stepped over and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek.  


“Can’t wait,” she whispered.  


She turned, heading for the door. With one final glance back, she was gone. Another buzz shrilled through the air bringing him back to reality. His excitement bubbling up inside him, Rhys tried to turn his thoughts back to the business at hand. He punched a key to initiate the connection on the call.  


“Hey, Zero. What’s happening?” he asked as the vault hunter’s blank mask filled the screen.  


“I feel I should be the one asking you that question,” Zero’s mask flashed a large red question mark. “You appear to be only half-dressed.”  


Rhys looked down to see that he had forgotten to button up his shirt, his tie hanging loose at its knot. A blush flooded his face.  


“Uh. Whoops.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is my first fan fic. I hope you enjoyed. Please leave me a comment if you did. It will encourage me to write more!


End file.
